Popular singer, Waconzy, talks about fame and fortune
Why I shaved off my dreadlocks
As a matter of fact, I wasn’t born with
dreadlocks. I just promoted that look. The main reason I shaved off the
dreads was because I was getting more matured and considering the kind
of business I do, I decided to look like a CEO that I am.
I also
considered the fact that I want to get to the next level in life and
looking at my friends that are also CEOs, most of them do not sport
dreads. I took of my dreads to compliment the Waconzy 2.0, that it is
the new Waconzy, the elevated, rebranded and upgraded Waconzy. To a
reasonable extent, it will reflect in my new songs and my new album, Money Back Guaranteed. The fact that I took of the dreads does not change me, if at all, it makes me look better.
About my company
I own DV8 Innovation. It is the parent
company, DV8 media is under it. I bought it for over $100,000. I paid
them off their equity. The company was worth about $300,000, but I had
more equity then and I had to pay everybody off their equity. Now it is a
lot bigger and I thank God for the journey so far.
How I was able to come up with the $300,000
I am a graduate. People should not just
look at me as an upcoming artiste. Even if you have a shopping mall and
you started a new business, maybe a barber’s saloon, you must become an
upcoming barber. Any new business you start, you must become new in it.
The fact that I started doing music does not mean I have not been doing
things before now.
I have always had a project management degree and I
have always been a project management professional. My life still goes
on, I have always been doing things in the past and I have always been a
businessman. I have been running all sorts of businesses and I also
handle contracts. People should not just look at me as a musician. I am a
graduate and a businessman.
My other businesses
I import cars, inverters; I have an event
solutions company. We have equipment for events, speakers, lights,
smoke machines, cameras, and other things.
Why I relocated to Lagos
I moved to Lagos because the major
seaport is in Lagos which is in Tincan Island, Apapa. Also, Lagos is the
hub of entertainment in Nigeria. It is the powerhouse of entertainment
in the country. It is only wise for me to move to were it is happening
more.
Before now, I used to ‘live’ in the air, travelling from one place
to another. Most my businesses had always been in Lagos, so I decided
to relocate to Lagos instead of shuttling from Port Harcourt to Lagos
and other places.
Frequent travels
I was travelling a lot during the period
of frequent plane crashes. I was not afraid because if you are always
scared, you are as good as dead. What will happen will happen and God
has always told me that I will never find myself in the midst of
negativity. He will always be there for me. I was scared for every other
person, but I was not scared for myself because I believe no negativity
would come close to me. That is my belief and it has always worked for
me. I thank God that nothing bad has happened to me.
Surpassing my hit song, Celebrate
Celebrate was just like every other song that I did. The same inspiration I got for Celebrate is the same inspiration I got for Too Much Money, and other songs that I have done. It is by the grace of God that everybody loves Celebrate.
It is not because of the song. I did not sing what nobody has sung
before. I did the song based on the inspiration I got at that moment. I
believe that in my new album, Money Back Guarantee, the grace of
God will be on lots of songs. I took on serious issues in the album. It
is a 19-track album and they are all wonderful songs.
My source of inspiration
No matter how much you have, if you are
not adding to it, the money will finish before you know it. I am always
trying to make things happen. I am always trying to elevate, from one
level to another. My inspiration does not come from my hustle per se; it
is about what I see. The fact that I am somewhere and I see a lot of
people, I try and draw inspiration from them. How they perceive life and
how I feel life should be.
My relationships–family but it has to be
real–my music is real. The fact that I have money now does not mean that
I will not work harder to surpass where I am. My inspiration comes from
anywhere, my travels to other countries and what I have seen abroad. My
new single, Club on Fire, was actually inspired by what I saw in
Amsterdam. I was in a club were the club was actually on fire.
Inside
the club, rain water was dropping, it was a wonderful experience and the
main songs we heard there was techno, the same kind of dance song in Club on Fire. I actually brought it down to African style. Everything I do is as a result of what I have seen to a reasonable extent.
My acceptance level worldwide
I have toured lots of countries both in
Africa and beyond and I am still going to tour Europe soon. I feel
blessed but no matter how much of a star I feel I am, I always remember
to give God the glory because without His grace, I am nothing. I always
remember that I have to be humble. The last time I travelled, I was
treated like a superstar 14 hours away from my country but when I got
back to Nigeria, I know I had to keep a level head.
